Mother’s Alcoholism And The Kids’ Drowsiness!

Prenatal

oi-Staff

By Staff

Tuesday, August 4, 2009, 10:01

Much has been written about the harmful effects of alcoholism during the pregnancy. However alcoholic mothers will be least expecting how their habit can affect their kids" sleeping patterns. Pregnant mothers who indulge in boozing can disrupt their children"s sleep for years afterwards.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and small body size at birth predicts poorer sleep and higher risk of sleep disturbances in 8-year-old children born at term. Children exposed prenatally to alcohol were 2.5 times more likely to have short sleep duration of 7.7 hours or less and 3.6 times more likely to have a low sleep efficiency of 77.2 percent or less across all nights. These sleep disorders are independent of body size at birth and current maternal alcohol use.

Smaller body size at birth also was associated with poorer sleep and with a higher risk for clinically significant sleep disturbances among children born at term. More specifically, lower weight and shorter length at birth were associated with lower sleep efficiency, and a lower ponderal index was associated with the presence of sleep disturbances. Additionally, children with short sleep duration were more likely to have been born via Caesarean section than were children sleeping longer!

Apart from the above facts even low levels of weekly prenatal exposure to alcohol have adverse effects on sleep quantity and quality during childhood. The results were in accordance with the foetal origins of health and disease hypothesis and the many studies that have shown that adverse foetal environment may have lifelong influences on health and behaviour. However, this is among the few studies that have reported associations between birth variables and sleep quality and quantity among an otherwise healthy population of children.

Katri Räikkönen, PhD, in the department of psychology at the University of Helsinki, Finland conducted this study. It appeared in the Aug.1 issue of the journal SLEEP. The epidemiologic cohort study obtained data from 289 children born at term (from 37 to 42 weeks of gestation) between March and November 1998.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.